The Cache data source stores real-time data from data attachments in memory resident tables, which can themselves be used as data sources. See the “Overview” section for information on adding a cache. From the Object Properties window you can access the Attach to Cache Data dialog to connect an object to this in-memory data. Once a property has been attached to cache data, it receives continuous updates.
To attach your data, right-click on the Property Name from the Object Properties window and select Attach to Data>Cache. The Attach to Cache Data dialog opens. This dialog provides drop-down menus that allow you to specify information regarding the cache data you want to display. If the item you require is not listed, type your selection into the field.
You can choose to read data directly from the Cache data source, or through a configured Data Server. When you read data directly from the Cache data source, the Cache drop-down menu in the Attach To Cache Data dialog lists all available caches. See the “Overview” section for information on adding a cache. Drop down menus for Column(s) and Filter Column populate based on the selected Cache and Table. The Table, Column(s), and Filter Column drop-down menus will only contain options if the selected Cache contains tabular information.
To read data through a configured Data Server the Builder must be connected to that Data Server. In the Attach To Cache Data dialog, select the Data Server from the Data Server drop-down list. The names of caches deployed on the default or named Data Server populate the Cache, Table, and Column(s) drop-down lists.
It is possible to indicate multiple columns for the filter and multiple values to compare against for each column. If the number of specified column names does not correspond to the number of values listed, extra names and/or values are ignored.
Note: Spaces around separators are not allowed.
When an object property is attached to data, the Property Name and Value in the Object Properties window is displayed in green. This indicates that editing this value from the Object Properties window is no longer possible. To remove the data attachment, and resume editing capability in the Object Properties window, right-click on the Property Name and select Detach from Data. An object property is detached from the data source when the Property Name and Value are no longer green.
Attach To Cache Data - Filter Modes
There are three filter options, or modes, for attaching to cache data:
§ “Filter Rows Off” on page 1085
§ “Filter Rows: Basic” on page 1087
§ “Filter Rows: Advanced” on page 1089
Select this option if you do not need to filter rows.
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Cache |
Name of the cache to display. The drop-down menu contains the names of all active caches. See the “Overview” section for information on adding a cache. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Table |
Select the type of table data to display: Current or History. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. If you selected the condenseRowsFlag property for the cache, the current_condensed table and the history_condensed table are available in the list. If you also selected the condenseRowsCombineHistoryFlag property, the history_combo table is available in the list. When history_combo is selected, the Update Once check box will be replaced by three Update buttons: Once, On Condense, and Always. Default is On Condense. |
|
Column(s) |
Select the column(s) to display from the selected Table. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Filter Rows |
Off - Select not to filter rows. Filters can only be used for tabular data. Basic - For details, see “Filter Rows: Basic”. Advanced - For details, see “Filter Rows: Advanced”. |
|
Update |
Once - Update listeners only once when display is opened. On Condense - Update at the interval specified by the cache's condenseRowsInterval property, rather than whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the traceValueTable of a trendgraph is attached to the history_combo table. Always - Update whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the valueTable property of a table object is attached to the history_combo table. Note: The On Condense and Always options only apply if the selected Table is history_combo. |
|
Data Server |
Select to read data through your configured Data Server and not directly from the Cache data source. The names of caches deployed on the default or named Data Server populate the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists. Note: If the Display Builder requests the cache names from a Data Server and does not get a response within 10 seconds, the drop-down lists will be empty. Default - Select the default Data Server you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on the default Data Server. If the Builder is not connected to a default Data Server, the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source are shown. |
|
|
None - Select to bypass data being redirected through the specified Data Server(s) for this attachment and instead attach directly to the data source. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source. Named Data Servers - Select a Named Data Server that you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on that Data Server. Multi-Server Attachment - To configure multiple data servers, enter a semicolon (;) delimited list containing two or more Named Data Servers (e.g. ds101;ds102). Each name specified must correspond with a Named Data Server that you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. It is also possible to specify __default and __none (e.g. __default;ds101;ds102). The values __default and __none begin with two underscore characters. |
|
|
Alternatively, a value of * can be entered to specify all data servers, including __default and __none. When multiple data servers are specified, the data attachment will be directed to each data server in the list. For tabular data attachments, a column named DataServerName will be added as the first column of the table and contain the name of the server from which the data was received. A multi-server attachment will receive data independently from each of the servers it specifies, so in most cases it will be necessary to combine the tables received into a single table. This can be accomplished in two ways: 1. The multi-server attachment can be applied to a local cache that has the DataServerName column specified as an index column. The current table of that cache will contain the combination of the tables received from all servers. Note: It may also be necessary to configure cache row expiration settings to remove defunct rows. 2. The multi-server attachment can be applied as the Table argument of the RTView function named Combine Multi-Server Tables. See “Tabular Functions” for more information. |
Select this option to filter rows by column(s) or values(s). See “Row Filtering” for more information.
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Cache |
Name of the cache to display. The drop-down menu will contain the names of all active caches. See the “Overview” section for information on adding a cache. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Table |
Select which type of table data to display: Current or History. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. If you selected the condenseRowsFlag property for the cache, the current_condensed table and the history_condensed table are available in the list. If you also selected the condenseRowsCombineHistoryFlag property, the history_combo table is available in the list. When history_combo is selected, the Update Once check box will be replaced by three Update buttons: Once, On Condense, and Always. Default is On Condense. |
|
Column(s) |
Select which column(s) to display from the selected Table. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Filter Rows |
Off - For details, see “Filter Rows Off”. Basic Filter Column - Name of the column to use as a filter. Multiple column names should be entered as a semicolon (;) delimited list (i.e. col1;col2;col 3). If your column name contains a space or a semicolon, then the entire name must be enclosed in single quotes. Filter Value - Value that the Filter Column must equal. Multiple filter values should be entered as a nested list, where values for a given column are separated by commas within a semicolon (;) delimited list (i.e. val1,val2;val3,val4;val5,val6). If your filter value contains a space or a semicolon, then the entire value must be enclosed in single quotes. When * is entered as a filter field value, data for all values in the specified filter column will be used to update the object property. When * is entered, only the literal comparative value will be used. These are only allowed for objects which display tabular data. Advanced - For details, see “Filter Rows: Advanced” |
|
Update |
Once - Update listeners only once when display is opened. On Condense - Update at the interval specified by the cache's condenseRowsInterval property, rather than whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the traceValueTable of a trendgraph is attached to the history_combo table. Always - Update whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the valueTable property of a table object is attached to the history_combo table. Note: The On Condense and Always options only apply if the selected Table is history_combo. |
|
Data Server |
Select to read data through your configured Data Server and not directly from the Cache data source. The names of caches deployed on the default or named Data Server populate the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists: Default - Select the default Data Server you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on the default Data Server. If the Builder is not connected to a default Data Server, the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source are shown. None - Select to bypass data being redirected through the specified Data Server(s) for this attachment and instead attach directly to the data source. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source. Named Data Servers - Select a Named Data Server that you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on that Data Server. If the Builder requests the cache names from a Data Server and does not get a response within 10 seconds, the drop-down lists will be empty. |
Select this option to filter rows by column(s) or values(s), time range, and to enable the “Extend with SQL” option.
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Cache |
Name of the cache to display. The drop-down menu will contain the names of all active caches. See the “Overview” section for information on adding a cache. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Table |
Select which type of table data to display: Current or History. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. If you selected the condenseRowsFlag property for the cache, the current_condensed table and the history_condensed table are available in the list. If you also selected the condenseRowsCombineHistoryFlag property, the history_combo table is available in the list. When history_combo is selected, the Update Once check box will be replaced by three Update buttons: Once, On Condense, and Always. Default is On Condense. |
|
Column(s) |
Select which column(s) to display from the selected Table. If a selection is made in this dialog from the Data Server drop-down list, this field is populated by that selection. |
|
Filter Rows |
Off - For details, see “Filter Rows Off”. Basic - For details, see “Filter Rows: Basic” Advanced Filter Column - Name of the column to use as a filter. Multiple column names should be entered as a semicolon (;) delimited list (i.e. col1;col2;col 3). If your column name contains a space or a semicolon, then the entire name must be enclosed in single quotes. Filter Value - Value that the Filter Column must equal. Multiple filter values should be entered as a nested list, where values for a given column are separated by commas within a semicolon (;) delimited list (i.e. val1,val2;val3,val4;val5,val6). If your filter value contains a space or a semicolon, then the entire value must be enclosed in single quotes. When * is entered as a filter field value, data for all values in the specified filter column will be used to update the object property. When * is entered, only the literal comparative value will be used. These are only allowed for objects which display tabular data. Time Range- Enter the time range of rows to be returned. Default time unit is seconds, but a suffix (e.g. m, h, d, w, M, q, y) can be specified to indicate minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, etc. If Time Range is specified but neither a Begin Time or End Time is entered, then the most recent rows of data within the specified time range are returned. If both Begin Time and End Time are specified, then Time Range is ignored. Begin Time - Minimum timestamp of rows to be returned. You must specify as a date string or as a long timestamp. If Time Range is specified but End Time is not, then data returned will span from Begin Time to Begin Time + Time Range. End Time - Maximum timestamp of rows to be returned. You must specify as a date string or as a long timestamp. If Time Range is specified but Begin Time is not, then data returned will span from End Time - Time Range to End Time. |
|
Extend with SQL |
Select to configure a cache to use a SQL query to retrieve data from an external database. This option is available when either the Time Range or the Begin Time fields are not blank, and the selected table name in the Table drop-down list is not Current. A substitution string, such as $beginTime, can be entered for these fields. When the Extend with SQL option is not enabled, the cache data source retrieves data from the in-memory cache only. This option also requires the following: § The historyTableName property for the cache must specify the name of the database table used for queries. § The maxNumberOfHistoryRows property for the cache must have a value greater than 0. § The the display (.rtv) file that defines the cache must be loaded by the RTView Historian as a Data Configuration file (so that the Historian stores the cache data in the database table specified by the cache historyTableName property). § There must be an SQL database connection defined for the database specified in the cache databaseName property. Or, if the cache databaseName property is blank, there must be a database connection to the default RTVHISTORY database. |
|
Maximum Rows |
If the value specified is not zero, it is used to limit the row size of any SQL query that is performed to satisfy the time period in the attachment. When Extend with SQL is selected, a default value of 1000 is automatically entered but can be changed by the user. A value of zero or blank means there is no limit. |
|
Update |
Once - Update listeners only once when display is opened. On Condense - Update at the interval specified by the cache's condenseRowsInterval property, rather than whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the traceValueTable of a trendgraph is attached to the history_combo table. Always - Update whenever new raw data is applied to the cache. This is useful when, for example, the valueTable property of a table object is attached to the history_combo table. Note: The On Condense and Always options only apply if the selected Table is history_combo. |
|
Data Server |
Select to read data through your configured Data Server and not directly from the Cache data source. The names of caches deployed on the default or named Data Server populate the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists: Default - Select the default Data Server you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on the default Data Server. If the Builder is not connected to a default Data Server, the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source are shown. None - Select to bypass data being redirected through the specified Data Server(s) for this attachment and instead attach directly to the data source. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches loaded locally by the cache data source. Named Data Servers - Select a Named Data Server that you configured in Application Options>“Data Server Tab”. Populates the Cache, Table, and Columns drop-down lists with the names of the caches deployed on that Data Server. If the Builder requests the cache names from a Data Server and does not get a response within 10 seconds, the drop-down lists will be empty. |
Fields in the dialog change colors according to the information entered. These colors indicate whether or not information is valid. Information entered into the dialog is validated against your active Caches.
The following describes the significance of the Attach to Cache Data validation colors:
|
Blue |
Unknown |
Entry does not match any known Cache. |
|
White |
Valid state |
Entry is valid. |
|
Red |
Invalid state |
Cache is valid, but Column(s) or Filter Column selected are not. |
Substitutions allow you to build open-ended displays in which data attachments depend on values defined at the time the display is run. Generic names, such as $cache1 and $cache2, are used instead of values for specific cache names. Later when the display is running, these generic values are defined by the actual names of specific cache names. In this way, a single display can be reused to show data from a number of different sources. For more information on creating displays using substitution values, see “Substitutions”.
The RTViewDs cache contains tables with information about each table maintained by the cache data source.
Note: RTViewDs tables do not support SQL queries, row filters, custom query intervals or maximum row settings.
In the Attach to Cache Data dialog, enter RTViewDs in the Cache field and then select one of the following RTViewDs tables from the Table drop down menu:
§ CacheObjectProperties - Contains all of the scalar property values for each tabular cache.
§ Tables - Contains runtime information about the size of each cache table.
§ cacheDefs - Contains cache configuration information.
RTViewDs tables contain the following columns, with one row for each table defined by the cache data source. The CacheObjectProperties table contains a row for each tabular cache, with the cache name in the first column followed by a column for each obj_cache_table scalar property listed in alphabetic order by property name. Tabular properties, like initialTable and valueTable, are not included. Non-tabular caches defined by obj_cache_double instances are not listed in the table.
|
RTViewDs Cache Table Name |
Column Available |
Description |
|
CacheObjectProperties |
One column for each cache property. |
See “Overview” for descriptions of cache properties. |
|
Tables |
%Full |
The amount of space, in percent, used in the cache table. In history tables, the %Full column shows the table row count divided by its maxNumberOfHistoryRows limit. Or, if the cache historyTimeSpan limit is not zero, the %Full column displays the table time span divided by its historyTimeSpan limit, whichever is larger. The value is converted to a percentage between 0 and 100. Note: If the history table size is limited by the historyTimeSpan property, the %Full value may never reach 100%. This is because when the old rows are removed from the table, the actual time span of the remaining rows may be less than the historyTimeSpan limit. For current tables, if the maxNumberOfCurrentRows property has a value greater than 0, the %Full column shows the table row count divided by maxNumberOfCurrentRows, converted to a percentage between 0 and 100. Otherwise, the value of the %Full column is NaN. |
|
|
Table |
The name of the cache table. |
|
|
Rows |
The number of rows in the table. |
|
|
Columns |
The number of columns in the table. |
|
|
Memory |
The estimated current size of the table, in bytes. |
|
cacheDefs |
Tag |
The cache name and the table name: <cachename>.<tablename> Example: sales.cacheDefs |
|
|
Cache |
The name of the cache. |
|
|
Table |
The name of the table. |
|
|
AllColumns |
The names of all columns in the table. |
|
|
IndexColumns |
The names of all index columns in the table. |
|
|
DataColumns |
The names of all non-index columns in the table. |
|
|
TimestampColumn |
The name of the timestamp column in the table. |
|
|
AllColumnTypes |
A list of column data types (for example, string, int, double, date, etc.) in the table. |
|
|
MaxRows |
The value of the maxNumberOfCurrentRows property Note: This applies only to history tables. |
|
|
TimeSpan |
The value of the rowExpirationTime property. Note: This applies only to history tables. |
|
|
Description |
The value of the description property. |
|
|
File |
The name of the .rtv file from which the cache definition object was loaded. |
From the Attach to Cache Data dialog you can specify which table columns to display and in what order they will appear. In order to populate the listing of available columns, you must first select a valid Cache.
Click on the ellipses button
in the Column(s) field (or right-click in the Column(s) field and choose Select Columns) to display the Select Columns dialog. The dialog should contain a list of Available Columns that you can add to your table.
To add a column, select an item from the Available Columns list and click Add. If the item you require is not listed, type your selection into the Enter Column Name field. Click Remove to delete an item previously added to the Selected Columns list. You can control the order of columns in a table by arranging the items in the Selected Columns list with the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
If no data is available for a table row within a selected column, the table cell will display one the following values: N/A, false, 0, or 0.0.
The following describes the Attach to Cache Data dialog commands:
|
Command |
Description |
|
OK |
Applies values and closes the dialog. |
|
Apply |
Applies values without closing the dialog. |
|
Reset |
Resets all fields to last values applied. |
|
Clear |
Clears all fields. Detaches object from data source (once Apply or OK is selected). |
|
Cancel |
Closes the dialog with last values applied. |